Topic: Unity – By Dr. Jeff Schreve - From His Heart 22 November 2022

Topic: Unity – By Dr. Jeff Schreve – From His Heart 22 November 2022

A FRIEND TIL THE END

“A man of many friends comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Proverbs 18:24

How do you see God?

Do you see God as a king? He is certainly a king. But those who see Him primarily as the great king of the universe tend to have trouble getting close to Him. We tend to view kings as distant and somewhat unapproachable.

Do you see God as a father? He is certainly a father. But some have had abusive or absent fathers here on earth, making the concept of Father God hard to embrace. As someone once said, “A child who cannot find God in his father will have a difficult time finding a father in God.”

Do you see God as a friend? He is certainly a friend. He is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” He is a friend who will be there for you through thick and thin. He is a friend to whom you can share your deepest, darkest secrets. He is a friend who loves you and wants to help you.

Be honest. Do you really see God as your friend?

A MIND SHIFT

I am convinced that most Christians don’t really relate to God as a friend. They tend to gravitate more toward king and/or father. King and father are good and fine … except when it comes to opening up and truly sharing your heart. You see, we all have faults, failures, and struggles with sin-—dark and ugly sin. The more shameful the sin, the harder it is to talk about it, especially with your father or the King! When it comes to really sharing the deep secrets of your soul, you need a best friend who will love you no matter what.

David is called “a man after God’s own heart,” but he was still a flawed human being with weaknesses and sins. One of David’s greatest strengths, however, was his honesty before his friend, the God of heaven. David could pour out his heart to God because he saw God not only as his king, father, and shepherd … but also as his friend and helper. He said in Ps. 54:4, “Behold, God is my helper.” What a great truth!

Behold is an important word in Psalm 54:4. It is a word of astonishment, exclamation, and emphasis. David is saying, “Look! See! Wow! The great God of the universe, the One who can do all things, He is my helper.” It is time for you to look and see that God wants to be your helper. He wants to be your friend who helps you with the intense struggle and epic failures of life.

IN YOUR LIFE

In the ways you see God, make sure to add helpful friend to the mix. Talk to God today as you would your best friend. Share your successes and failures with Him. Don’t sugar-coat your problems to make them more presentable to the king or to your father. Share them just as they are. Share them openly and honestly, like you would share them if you were talking to your very best friend. If you will relate to God in this fashion, you will be amazed at the closeness, intimacy, and divine help that will result.

Praise God we have a friend in Jesus who will never leave us nor forsake us. He will always be “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

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